Business And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Amount charged at established rates for charity care and uninsured discounts	$ 956,000,000	$ 807,000,000	$ 671,000,000
Percentage of uninsured discount extended for unqualified charity patients	20.00%
Establishment of partial reserve in the allowance for doubtful accounts for self-pay balances outstanding from the date of discharge, in days	60
Establishment of fully reserve for self-pay balances outstanding from the date of discharge, in days	90
Establishment of fully reserve in the allowance for doubtful accounts for third party liability accounts from the date of discharge, in days	180
Net of allowance for doubtful accounts	253,000,000	249,000,000
Capitalize interest expense	400,000	7,600,000	11,600,000
Depreciation expense	268,500,000	202,800,000	184,600,000
Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization	97,000,000	100,000,000
Amount of estimated future payments related to physician-related contractual commitments	7,000,000	8,000,000
Amount of potential future financial obligations	6,000,000
Amount of potential future financial obligations year one	4,000,000
Amount of potential future financial obligations year two	2,000,000
Workers' compensation reserves analyses		4,000,000	7,000,000
Acute care facilities with outside owners holding noncontrolling minority interest	5
Redeemable noncontrolling interest balances	218,000,000	212,000,000
Noncontrolling interest balances	51,000,000	45,000,000
Net excess tax benefits generated	0	0	0
Anti-dilutive weighted average stock options excluded from computation of earnings per share	1,400,000	1,000	3,600,000
Charity care and uninsured discounts based on charges at established rates	956,000,000	807,000,000
Estimated cost of providing the charity services	173,000,000	158,000,000
Medicare And Medicaid [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue	37.00%	38.00%	38.00%
Care Entities [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue	43.00%	46.00%	46.00%
Las Vegas, Nevada [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue	16.00%	21.00%	22.00%
Illinois [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Accounts receivable	54,000,000
Receivables due outstanding in excess of 60 days	$ 41,000,000
Receivables days in excess	60
McAllen/Edinburg, Texas [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue	5.00%	6.00%	7.00%
Acute Care Facility [Member] | Las Vegas, Nevada [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Percentage of noncontrolling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners	28.00%
Acute Care Facility [Member] | Washington, D.C. [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Percentage of noncontrolling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners	20.00%
Acute Care Facility [Member] | Laredo, Texas [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Percentage of noncontrolling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners	11.00%
Behavioral Health Care Facility [Member] | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Percentage of noncontrolling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners	20.00%
Buildings And Improvements [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful lives, minimum years	20
Property and equipment, useful lives, maximum years	40
Equipment [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful lives, minimum years	3
Property and equipment, useful lives, maximum years	15